Читать книгу In still water - Райса Каримбаева - Страница 7

The old dilapidated castle was not at all happy with the arrival of new owners, rather, on the contrary, he resisted this with every particle of it, every creaking board underfoot on the second floor, a dark attic impenetrable to light, where, in addition to the old, thick cobwebs and black, fat spiders, yes bats have never existed and nothing. After the first owners, a little more than a whole century passed. This is quite mature enough for a castle of this type, which contains many secrets and ghosts. And now, as soon as Serik entered the house, he sighed heavily in a gusty cold wind that burst through the suddenly opened shutters of huge, gloomy eye-sockets-windows. He worried and hesitated, staggered slightly to the side and creaked with each of his floorboards, and impressive cracks appeared on the clean, polished marble. These cracks crept from top to bottom on the walls of the upper floors, and through them seeped black, smelly, like oil, slurry, which seemed to boil with rage and indignation at those who disturbed their peace. But all these changes have remained unnoticed by the new owners. As it remained unnoticed, that disgusting suspension also leaked from the pantry located under the first floor and tightly locked by a weighty old lock through the crack and followed the boy. Chasing him on his heels, and where she crawled everything washed away a little bit preserved white and colored patterns on the walls were covered with black and green mold with a corresponding damp stench for her. For a minute the boy stopped, feeling someone breathing behind his back, as if someone was standing quite close to him and breathing Serik right into the back of his head. He turned sharply, but he saw nothing but old mold on the walls and a beating cobweb on the high ceiling. «Strange,» the boy thought, «I thought there was definitely someone here, but where is he?» He walked a couple more steps back and looked around, but saw no one. On this floor he was completely alone. He shrugged his shoulders and a minute later forgot about this incident, jumped up and ran on, humming an unpretentious song: «Yoh-ho-ho!»

Lizzie didn’t care what room she was in. She was depressed and just slowly climbed up the old, creaky stairs. Then she walked along the dark, long corridor, looking now and then into her smartphone. But he’s dead. Wi-fi did not catch here. When she reached the first room, she entered it and sat down on the bed without even looking at it, without unpacking her suitcase.

The next morning, everyone sat as usual in the spacious kitchen and at a modest breakfast. Everyone was in good spirits, except for Lizzie. She was indignant:

– There is no wi-fi here. There is still no light and hot water! And nothing at all! Why did you have to move here!

Mom tried to calm her down, but Lizzie got up and left the kitchen, and then completely out of the house.

She stood in the street and shivered from the cold. It was early morning and the sun had not yet risen high enough to warm the entire earth. Her father left almost immediately after her, and together they left for school.